While back East for my dentist’s STAR WARS themed wedding (not kidding), I was able to catch up with Mez and he was nice enough to give AFJ & MIDTOWN COMICS an exclusive interview about his company’s flagship line of action figures. Not only is he an incredibly knowledgeable guy, Mez is exactly what this industry needs–someone that truly gives a damn what you guys are spending your hard earned cash on and wants to make the best possible product. There was no MEZCO before this Mez which means that he is an entrepreneur that took a chance on himself and believing in something he loved could become a career. Now he is at the top of his game and the talk of the toy world. Never underestimate a kid from NYC with a dream.

2017 has already been a great year for movies – Logan was incredible and LEGO Batman was a bunch of fun! Plenty of movies are still on the way, and thankfully for us, some pretty awesome trailers have been released! However, we’re curious… which trailer do you like the most? Watch all of ’em below and then vote in the poll at the very bottom of the page!

2014’s Justice League: War marked the beginning of a new shared universe. Since Batmanand DC’s iconic heroes joined forces and defeated Darkseid, the Dark Knight’s family has grown quite a bit. Damian Wayne – who’s the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul – has become Robin (and a member of the Teen Titans); Dick Grayson is Nightwing; Luke Fox is Batwing; Kate Kane is Batwoman; Barbara Gordon is Batgirl (although we haven’t seen this universe’s version of Batgirl since her brief cameo in Batman: Bad Blood); last but not least, Alfred Pennyworth is, of course, always awesome as himself.

Since War, three Caped Crusaders movies within this continuity have been released: Son of Batman (which established Damian), Batman vs. Robin (which expanded on Damian’s relationship with his father), and Batman: Bad Blood (which introduced Batwoman, Batwing, and – very briefly – Batgirl). The World’s Greatest Detective has also played a part in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, Justice League vs. Teen Titans, and Justice League Dark. Now that this version of Batman and (most) of his allies have been fleshed out, it’s time to bring Bane into the picture!

A lot of characters and teams deserve their own Marvel Netflix show. Shang-Chi, Blade, and Daughters of the Dragon immediately come to mind. It would be so easy to make a list like “10-20 characters who need a Netflix show” – there are that many good options to choose from! There really is a lot of potential out there, but my top pick has remained the same for the past few years: Marc Spector, a.k.a. Moon Knight.

Batman #20 – by Tom King, David Finch, Danny Miki, Trevor Scott, and Jordie Bellaire – is the final chapter of the I Am Bane story arc. It’s a seriously vicious conclusion between the Dark Knight and Bane. No gadgets, no elaborate plans… just a brutal brawl between Bruce Wayne and Bane! Who’s left standing and how did they win the battle? Where will it go from there? To celebrate the action-packed issue, I thought it would be fun to reflect on some of their best battles in the comics! For simplicity’s sake, I stuck to encounters between them in the primary DC universe.

“Do you need Spider-Man in Venom’s first movie?” I’m guessing 9 out of 10 comic book fans will quickly answer “yes” to that question. After all, Spidey plays a huge role in Eddie Brock becoming Venom (read Amazing Spider-Man #300), and then the wall-crawler continues to play a big part in Venom’s story. The frightening foe’s a twisted reflection of the friendly hero and the two have had their fair share of memorable stories over the years. Like it or not, they’re strongly connected. That said, can you rework Venom’s story to not include Spider-Man? Yes, it’s definitely possible. Should you, though? Well, that all depends on what they’re bringing to the table, doesn’t it?